Riding Korea around the Sun

     It's funny how as you get older, time seems to go faster and faster. In fact, it's quite funny how time itself seems to bend and warp with age and whatever activity you are engaged in. I remember living in Ohio and Dad calling my brother and me to come out and help him sweep the garage, a task that probably took 10 minutes. He'd poke his head in the house and not immediately seeing us would yell, "Boys....Front and center!" These words were never welcome to us because they meant one of two possible conditions--either we were in some kind of trouble, or there was some brain-deadening job that dad wanted us to do (mowing the lawn, raking leaves, and picking up dog poop are other examples).
     During the 10 minutes it took to sweep out the garage, it was like time stood still. My brother and I would push our brooms up and down the garage, moving dirt and leaves and anything else that had made it's way to the ground to a growing pile in the center of the concrete. This was always one of the worst jobs for me because, well, I really don't know why. I hated it. That's all that matters. And for me, the few minutes I spent sweeping the garage instead of riding my bike or playing football with friends or messing with the dog felt like swimming through mud. Other times I felt this way as a youngster include sitting in a boring class and watching the clock, doing homework, waiting for mom to stop talking to yet another person she knew at the grocery store, and sitting in the car while dad took "the scenic route".
     But with age, the time spent doing things I'd rather not be doing has sped up some. Now, it's things like doing taxes, waiting for Ami to get ready to go out, sitting on a trans-Pacific flight, or sitting through boring conversations with people I'd rather not be talking to (this doesn't include anyone reading this, of course). But while these activities may not be fun, they don't seem to take the eternity that sweeping the garage did. Twelve hours on a flight goes by quicker than those 10 minutes ever did. I imagine it's my attitude that has changed, of course, but I often wonder if there is some real cognitive changes that happen in the brain as we age to sort of even out the extremes we used to feel when we were younger.
     So with all that in mind, I am marking the end of my first year in Korea. At the risk of sounding like an old lady, I can't believe it. Seems like just yesterday I was sweating it out while waiting for my visa to come through while living at my aunt and uncle's place. Also seems like just yesterday that Andrew met Ami and I at the airport and escorted us into Seoul. I think overall the year has gone by rather quickly, but when I think of all the stuff I've accomplished in setting Ami and I up here, and all the stuff I've learned at work, and all the people I've met be they co-workers, students, the Korean family, or the random people that make up my day (like the lady at 7/11 who always smiles at me or the security guy in our building at work who never does), I am able to mark parts of the year and slow it down and say "Yup, it's been a year".

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

     As the world (or the northern hemisphere anyway) moves into my favorite time of year, I am filled all at once with excitement, anticipation, a longing for home, and a certain amount of satisfaction. The past few weeks, as will be the next few, have been nice and easy with stuff to look forward to and enjoy. 

     The weather has turned from hot and humid to a weather much more to my liking. The mornings are a nice 50 and the highs in the mid-afternoon are somewhere in the 70s--it feels like the California I know and love. I know that soon the harshness of winter will be upon Seoul, but for now, I revel in my morning runs and bikes to and from work. We have the windows wide open and the sounds of the middle school sports field, mostly young ones running and yelling, remind me that I am not the only one enjoying the weather.

     Buster has changed from kitten to teenager and has become quite the sweet little man. Ami always wanted a lap cat, something that Stella is not, and Buster is fulfilling her wishes. He still causes his fair share of trouble--usually around 4 am when he decides that it's time for the rest of us to wake up (why do cats and dogs have a 23 hour clock?)--but overall he is coming along nicely. Since I really don't know how to treat a cat like a cat, I treat them like dogs when they are young, and Buster now lets me manhandle him just like my last cat did. I am a firm believer in manhandling cats when they are young, so that they grow up to be easy going and accepting of almost anything you want to do. Unfortunately, I didn't have access to Stella in her first few months of life and she is a lost case. She's friendly, but I certainly cannot pick her up, flip her over on her back, and hold up to the ceiling as if I was going to sacrifice her to the gods. Buster, on the other hand, is a willing victim. 

     Besides the weather, and probably more than the weather, the other reason I love this time of year is sports. Football has started, baseball is working the playoffs, and Formula 1 is drawing to a close where a champion will be crowned. I realize some of you will gasp at the money I spent to get baseball and football coverage over here, but I will rebut your attacks by arguing that you spend more money on your cable tv package in 3-4 months than I have spent to get the entire baseball and football seasons, which will get me through 10 months of the year. Technology is a wonderful thing, especially when it comes to sports.

     Speaking of sports, Ami and I will be heading down to the Korean Grand Prix (F1) this Sunday. It will be a long day as we are just doing a day trip there and back, but it should be fun. When we started to add up ticket, hotel, and meal costs, it started to get a little crazy and I'm not so sure she'll like the sport or that I will like the track. So I am looking at this year as a test for all the years to come no matter where we are, but especially for the F1 race here in Korea. If it's a great experience and we decide that next year we'd like to make a weekend of it, we'll do so. But if I discover that the track is crap and not worth the money, I'll be turning on the tv/computer next year, as I do for most races, and watching that way. I've been to three F1 races before (and a number of IndyCar races) and I know what makes a weekend at the races a good experience and I also know what makes for a not-so-good experience. So like I say, this Sunday will be a test of sorts. Below is a onboard lap of the Korean circuit:

F1 2010 - 17 KOREA - POLE LAP ONBOARD by MVGoVal

     In other news, I ran a 10k about a week or so ago. Korea had a couple of holidays last week (I will tell you about this in another post) and on Wednesday, it was Foundation Day. Gangnam was having a festival and one of the events taking place was the International Peace Marathon. There were actually four race distances: a full marathon, a half-marathon, a 10k, and a 5k. During a teachers' meeting about a month ago, the boss man announced that the race was coming up and asked if anyone wanted to participate at the Gangnam government's expense. One of the other teachers, a guy who lives very close to me and who I sometimes see going out while I'm coming in on our morning runs, ran the 5k last year and volunteered to do it again this year. At this point, a few of the people in the room looked at me, I guess the word that I run has gotten out, and I said I'd do the 10k. Later, I told Ami and she said she and her friend would run/walk the 5k.

     It ended up being a good race. The last race I ran was in the spring of 2010, a half-marathon, and after that, for some reason but as these things go, the running became less fun and it was just this last late spring that I picked it up again. During the two years, I never actually quit running, but whereas my mileage had been roughly 35 miles a week, it dropped off considerably to about 9 miles or even less per week. It was in June this year that I decided I'd had enough of the laziness and decided that I wanted to get back into respectable shape. Since then, I've run 3-4 times a week and while my distance and pace aren't quite what they used to be, they have been steadily improving. Anyway, the 10k went well and my time was better than I thought it would be and Ami and I have signed up for another one next month--only this time, I'll be running a half-marathon.